This delicious Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake is a lightened up version of a seasonal classic with a few healthy ingredient swaps. It’s finished with a simple orange glaze and you can decorate as you please. A stunning cake recipe for your holiday table.
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If you love cranberry orange recipes, check out Vegan Cranberry Orange Scones, Orange Cranberry Baked Oatmeal, and Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe!
Why You Should Make This
- Lightened up, healthy version of a orange cranberry bundt cake.
- The irresistible flavor combination of tart cranberries and bright orange.
- Bundt cakes will always wow your guests (with little effort on your part), thanks to their beautiful cake pan designs.
- Option to dress it up with orange glaze and sugared cranberries to take it to the next level.
Recipe Ingredients
The list of ingredients looks long but most of what you need you should already have in your Healthy Baking Pantry. Here’s what we need from grocery stores:
- whole wheat white flour or whole wheat pastry flour – I like to use whole wheat pastry flour for a lighter texture, but whole wheat white flour, or using half all-purpose and half whole wheat also works. A gluten-free 1:1 baking flour will likely work here as well (Bob’s Red Mill light blue bag is my go-to).
- baking powder, baking soda, salt – you’ll need both leavening agents to get the right rise, plus salt to enhance the flavor.
- ground spices – cinnamon and nutmeg are a delicious combo with cranberries and orange.
- oranges – use fresh oranges for the juice and fresh orange zest!
- coconut oil – make sure it’s melted and the rest of your ingredients are room temperature. You can also use light olive oil or avocado oil instead.
- unsalted butter – adds a nice buttery flavor.
- coconut sugar – or brown sugar, or your dry granulated sweetener of choice.
- eggs – eggs add structure.
- yogurt – the Greek yogurt adds moisture without having to add extra oil. Sour cream is a good substitute.
- fresh orange juice – it wouldn’t be an orange bundt cake without orange juice. Make sure to have extra on hand for the glaze.
- milk – to help thin out the batter.
- almond extract – adds delicious flavor, but vanilla extract works too.
- orange extract – optional, for a stronger orange flavor.
- cranberries – I used a bag of fresh cranberries. If using frozen cranberries, your cake may need a longer baking time. Option to use dried cranberries when fresh aren’t available.
- powdered sugar – this starts off as the base of our orange glaze.
Find the full detailed instructions with measurements in the recipe card below, at the end of this post.
How to Make this Bundt Cake
Here are the step-by-step instructions for this cranberry orange bundt cake recipe:
prepare bundt pan
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Thoroughly grease the bundt cake pan with softened butter, then dust with flour. I used this particular bundt pan for this recipe.
mix dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest.
cream fat and sugar
In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together softened butter, coconut oil and coconut sugar on medium-high speed. Then scrape the sides of the bowl.
add wet ingredients
Add eggs, yogurt, orange juice, milk, and extracts. Mix on low to medium speed until combined.
make cake batter
Add the flour mixture and combine on low speed. Do not overmix.
layer batter with cranberries
Add 1/3 of the batter to the prepared baking pan. Then evenly spread 1/2 cup of cranberries on top. Layer with another 1/3 batter, the rest of cranberries, and finish with the remaining batter.
bake
Bake cake for 35-45 minutes. Cover loosely with foil after 20 minutes to prevent cake from over browning. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs.
cool & flip
Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes. Then, place a wire rack on top and flip.
glaze
In a small bowl, make the sweet orange glaze and pour over cooled cake. Allow to set 15 minutes. Slice and serve.
TIP FOR GLAZE: Set your cake on a cooling rack, with a large plate directly underneath to catch any drippings. Then you can transfer any excess glaze from the plate into a bowl and go over the cake again.
How To Get The Bundt Cake Out Of The Pan
No matter how many times I make a bundt cake, I’m always nervous for the release!
My best tips to release the cake from the bundt pan are:
- Make sure to grease the pan well with butter (or oil) and lightly dust with flour.
- Wait 15 minutes before flipping.
- Gently bang the pan on the counter before flipping.
- Place a cooling rack over top of pan, then flip over.
Baking Tips & Tricks
- Cream the fat and sugar for longer than you think: The coconut sugar takes longer to dissolve into the butter and coconut oil, so it is best to mix for at least 2 minutes. Note: if using brown sugar, you can cream for less time.
- Don’t overmix the flour: when working with whole wheat flours for cakes, it’s best not to mix the flour in too fast or mix for too long. This will help keep the texture of the cake light versus dense.
- Cover with foil after 20 minutes of baking: this helps to prevent the bottom of the cake from browning too much.
Serving Suggestions
I love the showstopping presentation for this cranberry orange bundt cake, which makes it the best dessert for Christmas. I love to serve it as the centerpiece of my holiday table, along with Gingerbread Truffles, Chocolate Reindeer Bark, and Santa Hat Brownies.
How to Store & Reheat
Leftover cake can be stored up to 5 days, tightly wrapped with plastic wrap, or placed in an airtight container, and stored on your kitchen counter at room temperature.
Warm each slice in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
Recipe FAQS
What makes a bundt cake different than a regular cake?
Bundt cake is baked in a fluted tube pan with a hole in the center. Regular cakes are typically round, square, or rectangular.
What is the secret to getting a bundt cake out?
The best trick for releasing a cake from the bundt pan is to wait 15 minutes after baking, then place a wire rack on top and quickly (and confidently) flip it. For added insurance, you can run a knife around the edges and the tube in the middle.
Is there a difference between bundt cake and pound cake?
Bundt cakes are baked in a ring shape pan while pound cakes are baked in a loaf pan. The measurements for each ingredient are also different, meaning the textures are different, too.
More Bundt Cake Recipes You’ll Love:
If you make this Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake recipe, be sure to leave a comment and review on the blog! I love hearing from you, and it helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley
Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 ⅓ cups whole wheat white flour, or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, optional
- 1 tablespoon orange zest, about 2 medium oranges
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup coconut oil, softened
- 1 cup coconut sugar, or dry sweetener of choice
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup plain greek yogurt, 2% fat is best but 0% works too.
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup milk, I used non-dairy
- ½ teaspoon almond extract, or vanilla
- ½ teaspoon orange extract if you want stronger orange flavor, or orange emulsion
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries, roughly chopped (measured, then chopped)
For the Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Thoroughly grease a 10-15" bundt pan with butter (or coconut oil) and lightly dust with flour. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest. Whisk until combined and set aside.
- In a large bowl using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer, cream together softened butter, coconut oil and coconut sugar on medium-high speed. The coconut sugar takes a little longer to cream with the butter and oil, so make sure to cream about 2 minutes, until coconut sugar crystals are less noticeable. Scrape down the sides before the next step.
- Add in eggs, greek yogurt, orange juice, milk, almond extract and orange extract (if using). Mix on low-medium speed, until evenly combined.
- Add in your flour mixture and gently combine on low speed. Adding in batches as needed – batter will be thick.
- Layer your bundt pan with a small amount of batter, then evenly spread 1/2 cup of cranberries. Layer with more batter and rest of cranberries, finish with batter on top.
- Bake cake for 35-45 minutes. Cover loosely with foil after 20 minutes to prevent cake from browning too much. Check cake with inserted toothpick to see if done. Cake should come out with little to no crumbs.
- Allow cake to cool in pan for 15 minutes before placing a cooling rack or plate over top, then flipping.
- Once cooled, make glaze and pour over cooled cake. You may have reserve glaze that catches on the plate. I used this to go over the cake a second time.
- Slice and serve. Once glaze has set, about 15 minutes, slice and serve.
Equipment
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information
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